Container with opener



DEC. 1942- I T. L. VARKER 2,305,579

CONTAINER WITH OPENER Filefl July 22, 1941 fn ms/v raw Patented Dec. 15, 1942 CONTAINER WITH OPENER Thomas L. Varker, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 22, 1941, Serial No. 403,589

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in a container of the type having an opening device associated therewith, and more particularly to improvements in a sheet metal container adapted to be closed by a fruction plug which carries an opening lever.

According to the present invention, the body portion is closed by the usual end members which are secured thereto by a conventional double seam. One of the end members is shaped to present a friction surface around a central opening therethrough. This opening is closed by a friction plug which includes a laterally extending flange disposed above the adjacent end member. An opening tool in the form of a lever is pivotally connected to the flange of the friction closure and may be moved from an inoperative position lying within and below the double seam to an operative position for prying or lifting the friction closure off the container end. The opening lever is thus permanently connected to the friction closure so that the container may be opened and rescaled. repeatedly with the lever always available for opening purposes.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container of the above type wherein the operation of the lever in opening the container is such as to substantially prevent deformation of the parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container of the above type wherein the opening lever is pivotally connected to the flange on the friction closure and is adapted to fulcrum on the seam connecting the end to the body portion during operation thereof for removing the closure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a, container of the above type wherein the opening lever is constructed and shaped so as to engage beneath the flange on the friction closure during the actual removal of the closure from the container.

The invention still further aims to provide a container of the above type wherein the lever extends laterally from the friction closure after removal thereof so as to serve as a convenient handle therefor.

The above and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the closed container with the opening lever in an inoperative position.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side sectional view of Figure 1 showing the closed container.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the position of the lever at the beginning of the opening operation.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, similar to Figure 3, showing the position of the lever when the friction closure is almost removed.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of Figure 4.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, the container is illustrated as including a cylindrical body portion It] to which an end member H is secured by a conventional double seam l2. The end member is provided with an annular horizontal portion [3 which is disposed below the double seam and this horizontal portion is shaped to present a friction surface around a central opening therethrough. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, this friction surface is formed by curling the inner edge of the end member downwardly and inwardly to provide a bead M.

The opening through the can end is adapted to be closed by a friction plug 15 which includes a central closing portion l6 and a substantially vertical cylindrical wall portion IT. The outer surface of the cylindrical wall portion I1 is adapted to frictionally engage the bead l4 so as. to seal the contents of the container. The outer free end of the cylindrical portion I1 is directed. outwardly to provide a substantially horizontal flange [8, the outer edge of which is turned downwardly and inwardly to provide a fold or head I9 with the raw edge not exposed. The flange: I8 on the friction closure is provided with an aperture 20 therethrough and an opening or prying tool in the form of a lever 2| is pivotally con-- nected to the closure member at this point.

The lever 2| includes a handle portion 22 which: merges into an outwardly curved portion 23.. The curved portion 23 terminates in a reversely curved and relatively narrow ring portion 24 which passes within the inner edge of the bead l9 and through the aperture 20. This integral ring serves as a hinge ring connecting the lever to the flange of the friction closure. On opposite sides of the hinge ring 24, there are provided lugs 25, 25a which are formed integral with the lever. These lugs extend from the curved portion 23 of the lever but terminate short of the end of the ring portion 24. The lugs 25, 250. are slightly reversely curved with respect to the curved portion 23 of the lever and are disposed so as to engage the bottom edge of the flange [8 at opposite ends of the aperture 20 when the lever is shifted to an operating position with the curved portion 23 thereof abutting against the inner top edge of the double seam l2.

As shown in Figure 3, the lever has been shifted from an inoperative position to a position abutting against the double seam. As illustrated, there is slight play in the hinge connection between the closure flange and the hinge ring so that further movement of the lever for opening the container, will'shift the lugs 25, 25a into engagement with the under surface of the flange l8. Still further opening movement of the lever will cause the curved portion 23 to fulcrum at the top of the double seam l2 so as to eliminate the necessity of applying pressure to the relatively weak can end itself. As shown in Figure 4, the lever has been shifted to a position with the friction closure 55 practically removed from the can end and after the closure member is completely removed, the lugs 25, 25a and. the inner surface of the hinge ring 2% engage opposite surfaces of the flange i8 so that the lever remains in a substantially horizontal position and thus serves as a convenient handle for the closure member. During opening or prying of the closure member, it will be seen that there is a close couple between the closure flange, the hinge ring and the lugs so that deformation of the flange is substantially prevented.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides a container having a highly efficient opening lever permanently and pivotally connected to the flange of the friction plug closure. This lever is adapted to lie Within and below the double seam in an inoperative position so as to facilitate stacking of the containers. When the lever is shifted to an operative position preparatory to removing the closure from the container the lever bears on the relatively strong and stiff double seam as a fulcrum so as to obviate the necessity of bearing on the relatively weak end member. The lever is hingedly connected to the closure flange by a hinge ring and the lever is provided with prying projections or lugs which engage beneath the closure flange to remove the closure from the container as the lever is moved about the double seam as a fulcrum. There is a close couple connection between the hinge ring, the closure flange and the lugs during opening of the container so as to substantially prevent any deformation of the closure flange. The lugs position the lever in a substantially horizontal and outwardly extending position as the closure is removed so that this lever serves as a handle.

While one form of the invention has been shown for purposes of illustration, it is to be clearly understood that various changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A container comprising a body portion, an end secured to said body portion by a peripheral seam, said end having an opening therethrough surrounded by a friction seal a friction plug for closing said opening, said plug having a laterally projecting flange at the upper edge thereof, said flange having an opening therethrough and an opening lever having a projecting portion centrally thereof curved upwardly and backwardly upon itself and extending through said opening for forming a hinge ring connection between the lever and the friction plug, said lever having a projection at each side of the central projection curved outwardly and terminated so as to engage the under side of the flange adjacent the opening when said lever is turned to a position adjacent a plane passing through the upper edge of the friction plug to facilitate the prying out of the friction plug when the lever is pressed against the peripheral seam and also to facilitate a supporting of the friction plug by the lever.

THOMAS L. VARKER. 

